Peace Corps volunteers
Persons eligible; terms and conditions of service; Federal employee status; racial, sex, religious, or color discrimination
Living allowances, travel, leave and related items; transfers of supplies and equipment
Readjustment allowances
Repealed. Pub. L. 89–554, § 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 661
Health care
Prescription of medications
Retirement and other credits based upon length of service
Any period of satisfactory service of a volunteer under this chapter shall be credited in connection with subsequent employment in the same manner as a like period of civilian employment by the United States Government—
for the purposes of section 816(a) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 [22 U.S.C. 4056(a)] and every other Act establishing a retirement system for civilian employees of any United States Government agency; and
except as otherwise determined by the President, for the purposes of determining seniority, reduction in force, and layoff rights, leave entitlement, and other rights and privileges based upon length of service under the laws administered by the Office of Personnel Management, the Foreign Service Act of 1980 [22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.], and every other Act establishing or governing terms and conditions of service of civilian employees of the United States Government: Provided, That service of a volunteer shall not be credited toward completion of any probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career appointment.
For the purposes of paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection, volunteers and volunteer leaders shall be deemed to be receiving compensation during their service at the respective rates of readjustment allowances payable under subsection (c) and section 2505(1) of this title.
Assignment to other entities
Tort claims; absentee voting; general average contributions for transportation of baggage; check cashing and currency exchange; claims for overpayment of pay; passport fees
Termination of service
Oath of office
Counseling programs for returned volunteers
Legal expenses of defendant in judicial or administrative proceedings
Allowances and expenses of minor children
The minor children of a volunteer living with the volunteer may receive—
such living, travel, education, and leave allowances, such housing, transportation, subsistence, and essential special items of clothing as the President may determine;
such health care, including health care following the volunteer’s service for illness or injury incurred during such service, and health and accident insurance, as the President may determine and upon such terms as he may determine, including health care in any facility referred to in subsection (e) of this section, subject to such conditions as the President may prescribe and subject to reimbursement of appropriations as provided in such subsection (e);
such orientation, language, and other training necessary to accomplish the purposes of this chapter as the President may determine; and
the benefits of subsection (l) 1
Moving expenses
Independent review of volunteer death
Not later than 10 days after receiving notification of the death of a volunteer, the President shall provide a briefing to the Inspector General of the Peace Corps that includes—
the available facts and circumstances surrounding the death of the volunteer, including a preliminary timeline of the events immediately preceding the death of the volunteer, subsequent actions taken by the Peace Corps, and any information available to the Peace Corps reflecting on the cause or root cause of the death of the volunteer; and
a description of any steps the Peace Corps plans to take to inquire further into the cause or root cause of the death of the volunteer, including the anticipated date of the completion of such inquiry; or
an explanation of why the Peace Corps has determined that no further inquiry into the cause or root cause of the death of the volunteer is necessary, including—
a description of the steps the Peace Corps took to determine further inquiry was not necessary; and
the basis for such determination.
If the Peace Corps has performed or engaged another entity to perform a root cause analysis or similar report that describes the cause or root cause of a volunteer death, the President shall provide the Inspector General of the Peace Corps with—
a copy of all information provided to such entity at the time such information is provided to such entity or used by the Peace Corps to perform the analysis;
a copy of any report or study received from the entity or used by the Peace Corps to perform the analysis; and
any supporting documentation upon which the Peace Corps or such entity relied to make its determination, including the volunteer’s complete medical record, as soon as such information is available to the Peace Corps.
If a volunteer dies, the Peace Corps shall take reasonable measures, in accordance with local laws, to preserve any information or material, in any medium or format, that may be relevant to determining the cause or root cause of the death of the volunteer, including personal effects, medication, and other tangible items belonging to the volunteer, as long as such measures do not interfere with the legal procedures of the host country if the government of the host country is exercising jurisdiction over the investigation of such death. The Inspector General of the Peace Corps shall be provided an opportunity to inspect such items before their final disposition.
Consistent with the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), the Inspector General of the Peace Corps may independently review the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of a volunteer and the actions taken by the Peace Corps in responding to such incident.
For the purposes of undertaking a review under this section, an officer or employee of the United States or a member of the Armed Forces may be detailed to the Inspector General of the Peace Corps from another department of the United States Government on a nonreimbursable basis, as jointly agreed to by the Inspector General and the detailing department, for a period not to exceed 1 year. This paragraph may not be construed to limit or modify any other source of authority for reimbursable or nonreimbursable details. A nonreimbursable detail made under this section may not be considered an augmentation of the appropriations of the Peace Corps.
Upon request, the Peace Corps may make available necessary funds to the Inspector General of the Peace Corps for reviews conducted by the Inspector General under this section. The request shall be limited to costs relating to hiring, procuring, or otherwise obtaining medical-related experts or expert services, and associated travel.
The undertaking of a review under this section may not be considered a transfer of program operating responsibilities to the Inspector General of the Peace Corps.
Source
(Pub. L. 87–293, title I, § 5,Notes
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Amendments
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1997 Amendment
Effective Date of 1985 Amendment
Effective Date of 1980 Amendment
Implementation of Recommendations by the Inspector General of the Peace Corps
Inspector general report.—
As promptly as practicable, the Director [of the Peace Corps] shall implement the actions outlined in the agency response for all open recommendations of the Inspector General of the Peace Corps set forth in the report entitled ‘Final Program Evaluation Report: OIG Follow-up Evaluation of Issues Identified in the 2010 Peace Corps/Morocco Assessment of Medical Care’ (Report No. IG–16–01–E).
Semiannual reports.—
Initial report.—
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [
Subsequent reports.—
Not later than 180 days after the submission of the report required under subparagraph (A), and semiannually thereafter, the Director shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that describes the progress in implementing the recommendations referred to in paragraph (1) until all such recommendations have been implemented in accordance with the agency’s response to the report referred to in such paragraph.
Notification.—
After the submission of each report required under paragraph (2), the Inspector General of the Peace Corps may notify the appropriate congressional committees of any recommendations from the report referred to in paragraph (1) that the Inspector General determines remain unresolved.”
Evaluation of Health-Care Services Provided to Peace Corps Volunteers
In General.—
The Director of the Peace Corps shall contract with an eligible organization or organizations to conduct before
Requirements of the Evaluations.—
Each evaluation shall include an assessment of the adequacy of the Peace Corps health-care system—
to provide diagnostic, treatment, and referral services to meet the health-care needs of Peace Corps volunteers, and
to conduct health examinations of applicants for enrollment as Peace Corps volunteers and to provide immunization and dental care preparatory to service of applicants for enrollment who have accepted an invitation to begin a period of training for service as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Reports to the Peace Corps.—
An organization making an evaluation under this section shall submit to the Director of the Peace Corps a report containing its findings and recommendations not later than
Report to Congress.—
Not later than 90 days after receipt of a report required by subsection (c), the Director of the Peace Corps shall transmit the report, together with the Director’s comments, to the appropriate congressional committees.
Definitions.—
For purposes of this section—
the term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
the term ‘eligible organization’ means an independent health-care accreditation organization or other independent organization with expertise in evaluating health-care systems similar to that of the Peace Corps.”
Legal Expenses Incurred Prior to Sept. 13, 1966
Definitions
Appropriate congressional committees.—
The term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means—
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
Director.—
The term ‘Director’ means the Director of the Peace Corps.
Peace corps volunteer.—
The term ‘Peace Corps volunteer’ means an individual described in section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)).”